by Kyoko M
“Wrong. This isn’t the spell you taught me a year ago. This is a bonafide authentic blood spell. I learned it from Andrew Bethsaida, the greatest Seer who ever lived. It doesn’t wear off unless I reverse it. You can’t break the circle even if you try ripping up the mattress.”
He continued that contemptuous stare of his for almost a minute. Then, his face broke into a smile. “At last. You’ve become a worthy opponent. I’m truly proud of you, my pet. This is nothing short of brilliant.”
“Thanks. Now spill.”
“I wasn’t finished.”
I glared. He reached into his pocket and withdrew a cigarette and a silver lighter. He flicked the lighter open and ignited the tip of the cig. He took a deep drag, blowing a stream of smoke towards the ceiling before replying. “While your trap was excellently planned, I suspect there is something your faux father figure forgot to mention.”
“And what’s that?”
“True, I cannot tear up the blood spell to break the line. But there is something else I can do instead.”
He held his arm out with the lighter still on, right over the bedspread. “I can set the bed on fire and send this entire floor up in flames.”
The blood rushed out of my face. I shifted uncomfortably from foot to foot, my eyes locked on the flame. “You wouldn’t dare. You can’t get out of that circle. If you set it on fire, you’ll burn with it.”
He grinned and it was vicious. “I’ve survived much worse, believe me.”
“This hotel has sprinklers.”
“Are you sure they’ll work, my pet? This is an old facility. They may not even be real. All I have to do is toss it on those hideous curtains and the bed and your room is gone, along with several others before the fire fighters get here.”
He was right. The conceited, arrogant shitlord was right. I’d have to get close to knock it out of his hand and if I did, he’d get a hold of me. I needed both hands free and with one holding the feather, he could overpower me. The only reason I’d trapped him in the first place was because I caught him off-guard.
I took a deep breath, not hiding the contempt in my voice. “Fine. What do you want?”
“Let me out of here and I will spare your innocent bystanders.”
“How do I know you won’t kill me after I release you?”
“You don’t,” he said. Well, at least he was being honest.
I weighed my options. All of my stuff—my weapons, Andrew’s journal, and anything resembling my life—was in this room. Myra’s too. And then there were the people in this hotel, the entire floor, maybe the whole building if the sprinklers didn’t work. I couldn’t risk it.
I sidestepped and picked up the feather. After all, he didn’t say I couldn’t protect myself. Then I lifted my hand just outside the circle and began the incantation to remove it. The bottom of the mattress glowed bright red once again and then faded. I lowered my hand, keeping a good grip on the feather in case he tried something else.
Belial stood up and flicked the lighter closed. He straightened his ruined shirt, blowing a gust of smoke in my face. I didn’t cough because I’d known he would do that ahead of time. He leaned down until we were only inches apart and plucked the coffin nail from his lips so he could speak.
“Good girl. In the interest of fairness, I’ll let you live for now, but know that I owe you for this.”
He gestured to the ugly burnt skin on his shoulder. “And for refusing my offer to take you to bed before I kill you.”
“Sorry, but a girl’s got to have standards.”
“Of course.” Belial slid his hand around the small of my back so I was pressed into him. I could have moved out of the way or tried to stab him again, but that would be tempting fate. We’d found neutral ground and I wouldn’t be the first to undo it.
He tilted his head so that his lips were level with my ear, surrounding me in a cloud of smoke and cologne and deadly promises.
“Just so you know…if you had chosen me, I would never have let Lamont’s daughter nearly beat you to death like your husband did.”
Shock rocketed through me. How on earth had he found out about that? No one knew except for Myra.
He kissed the shell of my ear and then walked out the door, laughing quietly all the way.
I found Myra unconscious in the driver’s side of her truck in the hotel parking lot. It took some doing—she wasn’t a small woman—but I hauled her inside and laid her out on the bed. She came around within a few minutes, rubbing her forehead.
“Ugh, I feel like I have a hangover. What the hell happened?”
“Belial paid us a visit.”
Her amber eyes widened, as if everything came rushing back. “That son of a…he ambushed me.”
“Ambushed how?”
The older Seer fumbled for her pack of smokes. Her hands shook enough that I had to light it for her. After several long puffs, she calmed down enough to tell me what happened after she returned from buying food.
I turned off the ignition and checked both spaces on either side. Cars in both of them. No dumb ass teenagers, homicidal demons, or panhandlers. Good.
I opened the door and stepped out with the grocery bag dangling from my forearm. I was halfway across the lot before realizing I left my purse so I went back. I unlocked it, grabbed the purse from where it sat opposite the gas pedal, and straightened up. The car door slammed shut. There was a tall, dark-haired, pale-skinned man standing behind it.
I dropped the food and reached for my mace, but he grabbed me, covering my mouth so I couldn’t scream, and then slammed me against the truck. The impact left me dazed for a handful of seconds, just enough time for him to knock the mace out of my grip. The dim light above let me see his face for the first time and that was when I noticed his eyes—ice blue. The pupils weren’t round but diamond shaped. Immediately, I knew who he was.
He pressed two fingertips against the soft flesh of my throat. “I’m going to remove my hand from your mouth. If you scream, I’m going to shove my fingers through your esophagus. It will hurt. You will die slowly. Understand?”
I nodded. He dropped his left hand. I tried to covertly slide my hands behind my back towards my coat pocket.
He clucked his tongue. “Don’t even bother reaching for that holy water. You’ll only make it worse for yourself.”
“What do you want?” I demanded.
“I want to know the blessing you used to protect your hotel room.”
“How did you—?”
He scoffed. “Child’s play. Now then, the blessing.”
“Sure. It starts with ‘jump up your own ass’ and ends with ‘shave your privates with a rusty chainsaw.”
Belial sighed in an oddly wistful fashion. “I heard rumors that you were like this. Part of me is thrilled to find out they’re true. If I had more time, I’d probably take a run at you, but right now, I’m in a hurry. Tell me which blessing you used or I’ll go to Houston and pay your son a visit.”
I never even blinked. “I don’t have a son.”
“Christopher Zachary Bennett. Age fourteen. Five foot six, a hundred and thirty-six pounds, scar on the inside of his left elbow from when he fell off a bike for the first time. You have a burner cell phone you use to call him once every night before he goes to bed. Shall we continue playing this game?”
Icy fingers clutched my heart. He stared at me, waiting for a response. Hell, he wasn’t even glaring. His words had been enough. It was more than just a threat. It was a promise. I knew what this man was capable of. I knew my son would be dead before I could lift a finger to call him. But Jordan was my friend. He reduced my eight-month relationship with her into a simple, horrifying choice. My son or my friend.
I closed my eyes. My dry lips parted. “Hebrews 13, verses 20 and 21.”
“Good girl,” the demon said. “Now then, I can’t have you running off to go warn her, so be a dear and say ‘ah.’”
He held up a small white pill. I pressed my lips into a thin line, gl
owering at him. It was one thing that he’d gotten me to betray her. That didn’t mean I was just going to lie down for him.
The archdemon rolled his eyes. “Stubborn woman.”
He stomped on my foot, hard. I cried out, unable to stop the knee-jerk reaction to the pain. He shoved the pill into my mouth and then kissed me, making it impossible for me to spit the medicine back out. The pill dissolved against the back of my throat. Dizziness set in. I went limp in his arms, which had wrapped around my back to keep me from falling.
Belial nipped my bottom lip and then let go. “Sweet dreams, my dear.”
I heard the sound of the truck’s door opening. Then, the sensation of being lifted. He settled me across the seat and then everything went dark.
I shook my head. “Jesus.”
“I know, right? What a piece of shit. Can’t believe he threatened my boy. That’s low even for a demon.” She sucked in a long drag on her cigarette, pausing.
“Although, he is one hell of a kisser. No pun intended.”
I scowled at her. She shrugged. “Okay, maybe a bit. But I can see why so many women have slept with the guy. I was half drugged and even I enjoyed it.”
“Trust me, it’s not worth it. He’d be happy to screw your brains out and then snap your neck when he was done.”
“Point taken.” She frowned, meeting my gaze. “Sorry I gave you up, doll.”
I offered her a sympathetic look. “You didn’t have much of a choice. It’s not your fault.”
She nodded. We didn’t need more than that. Myra was the only reason I was still alive. As far as I was concerned, she had my eternal forgiveness.
I pushed my hair away from my face, sighing. “Great. We ganked two of their hitmen and now they’ve sent in the big guns. What the hell are we gonna do?”
“Calm down. We have enough time to at least start asking the right questions.”
“Which are?”
“Why didn’t he just kill us? Or, more precisely, you?”
I licked my lips, trying to figure out how to explain it to her. “Belial…has a misplaced sense of chivalry. It’s not like him to just put a land mine under the truck or snipe us from far away on a bell tower. To him, death is important. It’s something he relishes. He told me that my story wasn’t over yet. He’s giving me fair warning because of our history. I tarnished his reputation. When he kills me, it’ll be big and loud and everyone will know about it.”
“And what about me?”
I shook my head. “Could be different things. Could be he has a plan for you after I’m gone. Could be he was ordered to keep at least one of us alive. Could be he likes you.”
She chuckled. “Good old fashioned misogyny. Nice to know it still exists. Now onto the second and perhaps more important question: how in God’s name did he get past our so called ‘bodyguard’?”
Anger rushed through me. “I don’t know and I’m not sure I want to know. The answer is either that he killed her or worse.”
“Worse?”
“She gave us up because she hates me.”
Myra cocked an eyebrow upward. “You weren’t kidding about being unpopular, huh?”
“Sadly, no.” I stood, patting my pockets for my phone. “I’ll call Gabriel and see if she’s checked in with him.”
“I’m gonna check on Ace. I sent him on patrol an hour ago. Chances are the demon knocked him out too, or he’d have come to the rescue.” She headed out the door. I felt better after seeing her back to normal. Belial had a knack for scaring people witless. Still, his threat made me hesitate. Would he really have hurt Myra’s son? Had it just been an idle threat that preyed on her maternal instincts? How low would the demon really sink to get what he wanted?
I stopped searching as my fingers brushed against something in my back pocket that I didn’t recognize. It was a piece of cardstock the size of a business card. It looked like an invitation. There was an address to a place in Manhattan on it in cursive, eight o’clock sharp. What the hell?
I froze, thinking about the last thing Belial did before he left—sliding his hand around my waist. He’d slipped it into my pocket, the sneaky bastard. And here I thought he just wanted to grope me.
I called Gabriel, tapping my finger against the card as I waited for him to pick up.
“Evening, my dear. How are you?”
“Miserable as usual. You’ll never guess who paid me a visit tonight.”
Gabriel went silent for a few seconds. “Please tell me it wasn’t who I think it was.”
“I wish I could. It was Belial.”
He cursed softly in Latin. It sounded weird. Gabriel was always a picture of politeness and never swore because it wasn’t gentlemanly. It spoke volumes to how stressed out he was at the moment. “Any casualties?”
“Just my pride. Myra’s a bit shaken up, but she’s okay.”
“Why did he personally come after you? Why not hire someone?”
“To give us fair warning. Since we iced the other two hitmen, they decided to send their best. However, something else has come up. He slipped me an invitation. I’ll read it out to you. Tell me if it sounds familiar.”
I told him the address. “That’s where an annual charity ball will be held tomorrow night. I’ve been to one before. It’s not precisely a known spot for angels and demons.”
“Why do you think he gave it to me?” I asked.
“Perhaps he wants to lure you into a trap. Perhaps he just wants to mess with you.”
I gnawed my bottom lip. “The guest list for this shindig…do you remember if they had it posted somewhere online?”
“It is an official affair. All of the public donors would be listed on the event’s website.”
“Hold on a second.” I climbed onto the bed and opened my laptop. I searched for the event and scrolled down the ridiculously long list of charity donors, not sure of what I would find until I saw something at the bottom near the recent additions.
“Gabe. I think I know why Belial wants me there.”
“What?”
“Madison Withers.”
“Wait. Isn’t that the name of—”
“—David Faust’s former fiancée? Yeah, that’s her. They studied together in college before they broke up last year. She’s a professor. Looks like her department made a large donation and that’s why they invited her.”
“If Belial knows that she will be there, then you must go and warn her that she’s in danger. Send Myra ahead to the safe house and take Belladonna with you.”
“Who?”
“Your bodyguard.”
“Seriously, she named herself after a porn star?”
Gabriel sighed. “You humans and your secular references. She took her name from atropa belladonna, what most people call Deadly Nightshade.”
Ah. That made much more sense. It also explained that charming personality of hers. “I’d rather you sent her with Myra. Especially since we don’t know why she didn’t stop Belial from almost molesting me a little while ago.”
“He is an archdemon. Belladonna’s a high-ranking soldier, but I suppose he could have defeated her. Unfortunately, he’s done it before. She hasn’t checked in yet. I can drop by Heaven to make sure she wasn’t killed.”
“Okay, but…” I hesitated, trying to figure out what to tell him. It was rare for angels to commit any of the Seven Deadly Sins. The last one to fall had been a Scribe named Avriel last October and even then, he only rebelled to try and save a thousand innocent lives. Belladonna was a bitch, but would she truly betray Gabriel’s trust?
“But what?”
I swallowed my theory. “Just let me know what she has to say.”
“I will. In the meantime, I shall send someone else to back you up at the ball. Someone more familiar, if that helps.”
“Thanks, Gabriel.”
“You are more than welcome. Please, for all that is holy, be careful, Jordan.”
He hung up before I could promise that I would. He knew me too well.
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I lowered the phone and sighed. Only one thing left to do.
“Man, I hate dressing up.”
CHAPTER SEVEN
MICHAEL
There was a reason I hadn’t chosen to be a wealthy businessman in my role on earth these days. I had tried it once before, several decades ago, on a short mission in Britain. The way some of these people acted frustrated me to my very core. Humanity was not nearly as advanced as it thought, nor as advanced as it would get by the time the universe ended. Yet everyone acted as if they were the center of it, as if their actions dictated the rising and setting of the sun. I couldn’t stand it.
Despite my rampant displeasure in their company, I bought the finest tuxedo money could offer, oiled up my hair, wore expensive cologne, switched my wedding band to my first finger, and adopted the guise of a well-off philanthropist. It wasn’t hard to get myself invited, nor to get a date to help with my cover. After all, I was handsome, tall, and seemingly wealthy. All it took was “accidentally” bumping into a pretty rich girl at a Neiman Marcus. She was short, brunette, and had an annoying high-pitched laugh. It took half of my concentration to drown her out while we danced as I searched for my target in question.
The hall was enormous and decadent. Polished marble floors. Glass tables. The silverware was actually made of silver. They had even rented the New York Philharmonic orchestra to play. The rafters were gold and cherubs were carved into them. Human beings’ perceptions of angels never failed to astound me. They got it wrong more often than they got it right.
Half an hour into the ball, I still hadn’t sighted my target. It was beginning to frustrate me as much as my date’s attempts to seduce me. She wasn’t ugly by any stretch—in fact, she was quite lovely in her backless scarlet gown. However, she took every opportunity to press her rather large breasts against my chest and touch my backside as we danced. I could tell she assumed she’d be getting a nightcap after the ball, so to speak. She was sorely mistaken. After all, I was not much of a breast kind of guy, if I was being honest. More of a leg man.